Plant safety

Plant is any machinery, equipment, appliance, container, implement and tool, and includes any component or anything fitted or connected to any of those things. Plant includes lifts, cranes, computers, machinery, conveyors, forklifts, vehicles, power tools, welding equipment and amusement devices.

The University has a primary duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that plant is without risk to the health and safety of any person. The Plant Safety Procedure sets out the University requirement when using plant and equipment in University activities.

Note: Plant that relies exclusively on manual power for its operation and which is designed to be supported primarily by hand (eg a screw driver) is not covered by WHS regulations. However the general duty of care under WHS legislation applies to this type of plant.

The Code of Practice Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace is a practical guide for achieving the standards of health and safety required under WHS legislation. In most cases, following the Code of Practice will achieve compliance with the health and safety duties of WHS legislation. However compliance may also be achieved by following other methods, such as technical or industry standards, provided these provide an equivalent or higher standard of work health and safety than the Code.

When working with plant the electrical safety procedures must be read to ensure the University's electrical safety requirements are met.

Licences and registration

Certain kinds of plant, such as forklifts and cranes, require a high risk work licence from the WHS regulator (SafeWorkSA, NT WorkSafe or Victorian WorkCover Authority, as relevant) to operate.

Where work with plant involves confined spaces, working at heights, excavation, service isolation, hot work or asbestos a University Work Permit/ Permission to Proceed.

Some high risk plant must also be registered with the WHS Regulator. Refer to Appendix B of the Code of Practice Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace for a list of the plant that must be registered. Applications for registration must be submitted to the WHS Unit in the first instance.